Study to Death
by Lady Ava
Summary: The Ronins have their finals coming up and they all need to study. But one of the guys takes it one step too far...


Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronin Warriors

Author's Note: This is based off true events that occurred to someone very close to me… 

Study To Death

A Ronin Warrior Fanfiction

By Lady Ava 

            The five Ronin Warriors had been through a lot over the past few months. They had managed to defeat Talpa and destroyed the evil Dynasty. Now a new, more difficult challenge was laid out before them. Something that was to test every ounce of their speed, skill, and bond. That something…was High School. 

The June sun was pleasant as the five teens sat in class. Outside, a lovely breeze blew and the birds sang happily as they sat there on the tree limbs. Ryo, Kento, Sai, Rowen, and Sage were sitting in their English class, reviewing everything that they had learned over the past semester. End of the year exams were next week and they had to be prepared in order to pass. 

"What is the theme of a story? Can anyone tell me?" The young woman teacher asked the class as she leaned back against the edge of her desk. 

Rowen's hand shot in to the air. The blue haired teen always had quick reflexes when it came to answering the teacher's questions. 

Smiling, the educator pointed to him. "Yes Rowen?" 

Standing from his desk like all students had to do, Rowen lightly cleared his throat. "Theme is the general meaning of the story. Like what the author was trying to say in order to tie the story into our everyday lives." He recited perfectly. 

"Very good Rowen." The woman praised. 

As she turned back to the black board to continue with the lesson, Kento leaned over to the Strata warrior. "Dude, how you memorize all that stuff?"

Turning around, the youth smiled. "It just comes naturally." 

After the bell rang, the teens headed for their lockers to gather their belongings. The five Ronin decided that they were going to have a massive study session, mostly because they wanted Rowen to help them. As the hallways emptied, only the five boys were left. They always took their time, mostly because they would always joke around and never get what they needed quickly.  

"Rowen, I don't get you. How the hell do you manage to study so much?" Sage asked, leaning up against the cool lockers. Halo flicked his blond locks as he looked at his best friend, who was rummaging through his locker. "I mean, you have archery practice after school until seven, then you go to work at the observatory until ten, and somewhere in there you have to eat, and then you go home. I hear you roll into Mia's house around at least Midnight. When are you going to study?" He inquired. 

Popping his head out of his locker, Rowen simply smiled. "I have my ways." 

Suddenly, the contents of Rowen's locker spilled out onto the hallway. "Damn…" He cursed under his breath as he bent down to gather mess of books, papers, and things that flooded the corridor. 

"Here, let me help you." Sage stated as he got to his knees and began to help in the clean up. 

"Thanks. I've been meaning to clean my locker out for the longest time." The life fighter told his friend as he took a stack of papers from his hand. 

As Sage continued to shuffle books and things around, his eyes fell upon a small green plastic bottle laying on the floor. Reaching over, the adolescent picked it up into his hand and read the label in his mind. 'All natural Caffeine tablets.' His eyes widening, Sage turned to his friend. "Ro, are these yours?" He asked, holding the container up. 

Rowen froze in shock. "Give them to me." Then, grabbing the bottle from Sage's hand, Rowen shoved it into his backpack. "They're nothing."

But Sage wasn't that easily convinced. "Dude, how long have you been on them? I haven't them seen before." The light warrior asked quietly. 

Averting his eyes to the ground, Rowen continued to collect his things. "About…two months now. Like I said, they're nothing. They're natural." He said casually. 

Once again, Sage was not convinced. "Rowen, just because they are natural doesn't been they're good for you. How many do you—" 

"Look, I said they were nothing." Rowen almost shouted, cutting his friend off. 

Sage stared at his friend. "Where did you get them?" He asked. "It is a federal offence to sell these to minors."

Rowen looked at Sage directly in the eyes. "They are my dad's. He said I could use them."  

Standing from the floor, Rowen threw everything into his locker and withdrew his duffel bag and bow. "Look, I've got practice. Tell the others to meet me down at the field." He stated, throwing his belongs over his shoulder. Staring at his friend who rose to his feet, the blue haired youth asked, "Don't tell the others, okay? The last thing I need is the others getting on my case." 

But before the teen could turn to walk away, Sage's hand came down on his shoulder. "Listen, I won't tell the others, but just be careful with them, okay?" The blond haired youth pleaded. 

Turning around, Rowen smiled. "Thanks man." And with that, the teen darted off down the hallway towards the practice field. 

Sage, Kento, Sai, and Ryo sat up on the bleachers that over looked the track and football field. Because the Archery field was being repainted and cut, the team had to use the football field for practice. A breeze blew threw the stadium as the track team practiced their starts on the track and the archery team practiced the usual: shooting at the target. 

"Man, how come Rowen couldn't play a more exciting sport like ice hockey? This is boring." Kento wined as he leaned back against the metal stands. 

Sai rolled his eyes. "Because after fighting Talpa, he became an excellent archer." He stated simply.

"That's right. It's written in the stars." Ryo added, looking up from a book he was reading. 

Kento looked over at their fearless leader. "That's a pun, ya know." 

Sai and Ryo went wide-eyed. "You actually paid attention in Ms. Tori's English class?" They asked in unison. 

"Well…yea. After all, exams are next week and I can't afford to fail them." The Hard Rock warrior admitted. 

Hitting Sage on the back, Sai asked the blond haired boy. "Hey Sage, are you hearing this? Mr. 'I don't have to study because my comic books are better than a World Culture's assignment any day', is actually studying for a change." 

Sage didn't move or react to what Sai had said. His eyes were locked on the field and on Rowen. The blue haired youth stood there laughing with one of the girls on the team. He seemed to be fine, but Sage just couldn't tell. 'Two months…maybe I'm just overreacting. I mean, Rowen is responsible. He wouldn't do anything stupid.'

"Hey, earth to Sage! Come in Sage!" Kento asked, waving his hand in front of his friend's eyes. 

Shaking his head, Sage turned and smiled. "What's up? What do you want Kento?"

Ryo closed his book and slid over next to friend. "You're so quiet. Is there something wrong?" 

Sage looked back out onto the field. Rowen had just stepped up to the firing line. Removing an arrow from his back quiver, Rowen placed it against the bow, and then drawing it back, the youth began to aim. That's when Sage saw it. The life warrior shook his head, trying to clear his vision. Then he let the arrow fly. The small spear cut through the air and hit the target on the outer rim. 

The team and the Ronins gasped. Rowen held his head and shook it a bit. "The all mighty Rowen has fallen. He didn't get a bull's eye." Kento joked. 

Sage adjusted uncomfortably in his seat. 'Man…well, maybe he just lost concentration. Who am I trying to kid.' He wrestled with himself mentally like that for the rest of Rowen's practice. 

That night, the five teens sat at Mia's dinning room table. Because of the fact that Mia was a college student, she had the chance to go and study abroad in France. Not wanting this chance to go by, the girl took the offer and she would be gone for two years.

"Hey Rowen, how do you do this math problem?" Kento asked, sliding his book over towards his friend. 

Looking over the problem, Rowen sighed. "All you do is this." He scribbled down the procedure on a piece of paper in his notebook. Then, ripping it out, the teen handed it back to the justice fighter. "Just follow that and you shouldn't have…any problem." He told, stifling a yawn.

Sai placed a cup of tea down next to him. "Ro, why don't you take a break? I mean, you have been at it since you got home from practice." The teen suggested as he sat back down at the table. 

Running a hand threw his hair, Rowen sighed. He was extremely tired and his head pounded with a huge headache. His chest felt like it was on fire and he felt as if he were going to throw up the little dinner that he had in his stomach, but knew that he wouldn't. 'Man, I feel like crap.' The youth thought.

Standing from the table, the Life warrior shook his head. "I'm going to lye down for…a few minutes." He told the others, stopping to shallow hard in the middle of his sentence. 

As he turned to head upstairs, Rowen grabbed onto the wall for support. His world was spinning around him and his headache worsened. "Whoa…" He murmured. 

"Rowen, are you alright?" Ryo asked, standing from his chair. 

Looking down next to his foot, Rowen bent down and retrieved his backpack. Opening the main pocket, he checked to see if his pills were inside. "Yea, I'm just fine." He smiled. 

Sage watched as his friend assended the stairs towards his room. 'I just have this feeling that you're not telling me the true…what are you hiding from me, Rowen?' 

After a long and tiring weekend of studying, Monday finally arrived…and so did the exams. The Ronins walked into the main lobby of their school to find students cramming in the hallways, talking about what test they had first and other unrelated topics. 

"Dude, I am not ready for my math exam." Kento whined as he scribbled problems down on a piece of crumbled up paper. 

Sai panted his friend on his back. "Don't worry Kento. You'll do fine."

"Easy for you to say. You're first exam is Marine Biology." Hard Rock grumbled. 

Ryo laughed as the two teens were going at each other's throats. Looking over at Rowen, the leader asked. "What's your first exam, Ro?" 

Smiling widely, Rowen jumped. "I have my Chemistry exam. I studied all night last night, but I think I'm ready. Do you think I'm ready? I think I'm ready." He babbled rapidly. That's when the five-minute warning bell rang. "Well, gotta go. Gotta ace my test. Yup, yup, yup! See ya later!" And with that last burst of energy, Rowen sprinted off down the hallway and around the corner. 

The four Ronin stared widely as Rowen vanished from sight. They were in shock at how fast Rowen was moving. "Dude, he's wired." Kento stated bluntly. 

"I have never seen Rowen move so fast. Not even when we were fighting the Dynasty he didn't move THAT fast." Sai concluded. 

Sage looked down at his feet. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. 'Rowen, you are being so dumb.' 

Suddenly, the one-minute bell rang. "See ya after the first exam!" Ryo called as he sprinted down the hallway. 

"Bye!" The other three Ronin shouted back as they went to their classes. 

Sage sat in his technical music class. He, along with the rest of the band members were waiting to complete their playing portion for their teachers. The blond haired teen sat outside the band room by himself, twirling his flute around his figures. Looking up at the ceiling, he rested his head up against the cool wall. 'Man, I can't get it out of my head.' He thought. Sage's mind flashed back to Rowen over the past few days. When he had grabbed the pills from his hand, him missing the target during practice. Then his blue haired friend being locked in his room all weekend, refusing to come out. 

'What is the matter with him?' Halo thought, catching his instrument in both his hands. 

Looking forward, Sage felt his heart skip a beat. He looked across the empty commons to see his friend leaning up against the wall, panting. As he watched, he saw Rowen adjust his backpack as he ducked into the Boys' Room. 

Standing, Sage ran inside. Running up to a girl holding a flute as well, he shoved his instrument into his hands. "Cassie, can you hold this for me? I'll be right back." Before the girl could answer him, Sage had turned and ran out of the room. 

Upon entering the bathroom, the blond haired teen heard a familiar hack. Turning the corner, he saw Rowen standing in front of the sink, opening the bottle of pills. As he tried to unscrew the lid to the bottle, the teen's hands were shaking wildly. But before he could open them, the container slipped out of his hands and into the sink. "Damn…" Rowen cursed under his breath. 

"Rowen?" Sage asked, causing the teen to jump. Turning around, the Halo and Strata warriors just stared at each other in silence. Then, turning back to the sink, Rowen hacked again. 

Sage stepped back against the wall in shock. He felt as if he were about to be sick. Rowen's hand was now covered in blood. Looking back at his friend, Rowen was shaking. "It's nothing…really. I can handle this." He murmured as the teen wiped his mouth. 

"Rowen…" The light fighter stated. Pushing off the wall, he walked up to his friend. Reaching into the sink, he withdrew the Caffeine pills. Then opening the top, Sage withdrew one of the capsules. "How many are you suppost to take a day?"

Looking at the floor, Rowen thought. "Um…two a day…"

"How many have you been taking?" 

"Six a day."

Sage turned away disgusted by what he had just heard. Placing the pill back into the container, Sage turned the bottle upside down and poured the pills out and into the sink. Rowen's eyes widened. "What the hell! I need those!" Grabbing Sage's arm, the desperate teen tried to get the pills away from his friend. Hitting Sage's hand, the container went flying along with the remaining medication. "No! You jerk!" He shouted. 

"It had to be done." Sage stated flatly. 

Running over to the container, Rowen bent down and picked up the bottle. Looking inside, he grinned. Turning the bottle over, the last pill fell into the quivering teen's palm. Quickly, before Sage could knock it away, Rowen shoved it into his mouth. Then, swallowing hard, he turned to his best friend. "Why did you do that? I need them to study!" 

 Taking a step forward, Sage slapped Rowen clear across the face. "I think that should of knocked the sense into you. But if it didn't, maybe this will." He raised his hand to strike again, but all he did was let it hang there in the air. "You don't need them to study."

"Yes I do! You have no idea what you're talking about." Rowen shouted. Grabbing his bag from Sage's feet, he turned and started his way out of the washroom. Turning once again to his friend, Rowen scowled. "Don't you even come near me again. From this point on, consider our friendship terminated." And with that, Rowen left, leaving Sage speechless.  

Around 11:45 later that morning, the five Ronin met at their lockers to go home. The school day was shortened, due to the fact that each exam took an hour and a half to take. 

"That was easier than I thought it would be." Ryo said lazily as he closed his locker. 

Kento opened his backpack and withdrew a candy bar. Then shoving it into his mouth he grinned happily. "I can't believe that I had to rewrite my World Cultures essay. Just because it had a little chocolate on it…"

"Kento, the first page had a giant streak of chocolate right down the center of it." Sai innocently pointed out. 

 Turning around, Ryo noticed Rowen lagging behind. He seemed to be completely drained of the large amount of energy he had this morning. The youth's complexion was completely white and his forehead dripped with sweat. "Rowen, are you feeling alright?" The Wildfire warrior asked curiously.

Looking up, Rowen stared at his friends, who were all now making eye contact with him. As he opened his mouth to speak, he hacked. Then, his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the floor.  

"Rowen!" The four Ronin shouted as they ran to their fallen friend. Turning him over, Rowen's complexion was as white as the cold floor. He was sweating and his whole body shook from his sickness. 

Ryo looked over at Sai. "Sai, go get a teacher. Quickly!" 

"Right." The torrent warrior said. Jumping to his feet, the youth ran towards the teacher's lounge. 

"I knew it. I knew this would happen, but he never listens to me." Sage blurted out. 

The two remaining boys stared at Sage in question. "What? What are you talking about, Sage?" Kento questioned.  

Turning to face his friends and team members, the blond haired youth explained about the pills he found in Rowen's locker. "…He said that he's been taking them for two months."

"How come he didn't tell us?" Ryo asked, 

Sage shook his head. "I don't know. I just found out last week." Lowering his head, Sage fought off shame. "I should have said something."

"What happened here?" The shrill voice of the Ronins English teacher called down the hallway. Looking up from their friend, they saw five teachers and Sai running towards them.

The medics arrived quickly after Sai had vanished to retrieve a teacher. By the time they had gotten Rowen to the hospital, he was on the verge of a coma. His body would shake violently from chills and his breath was heavy. The doctors had to place Rowen onto a breathing machine to keep him for slipping farther from the grasp of the living world. 

The Ronins were forced into the waiting room where they were forced to do nothing but wait anxiously for news on Strata. Sage was at the pay phone calling Rowen's parents to tell them what happened. Ryo was pacing back and forth nervously while Sai and Kento sat on one of the couches sipping cafeteria coffee that looked like it was six weeks old and jello-like. 

Staring over at the emergency room doors, Ryo clenched his hand into a fist. "How long are they going to take doing this?" He stated in a stressful tone. 

"Getting angry, Ryo, isn't going to help." Sai explained calmly, causing the fire eyed Ryo to glare at him. "If you stay enraged, then time will go even slower. Try to relax. The doctors working on Rowen are the best in the city." 

Glancing over at the doors again, Ryo finally swallowed his anger and sat down next to Kento. "I just wish they would tell us something." 

Placing a hand onto his friend's shoulder, Kento nodded in agreement. "I know Ryo. I know." 

"Rowen's parents aren't home. They are both out of the country." Sage stated gloomily as he slouched down into one of the armchairs in the waiting area. The others looked down at the floor feeling that another hope was shattered. "It's all my fault." Sage finally said, causing attention to be regained among the group. "If only I had said something to you guys. Then he wouldn't be lying in the emergency room now."

Leaning forwards, the blond placed his head into his hands. "I should have said something." He sobbed. Before the others could say anything, Sage, the supposed composed one, broke down in tears. 

Sai stood from his spot on the sofa and knelt down in front of his friend. "Sage, it's alright. It's not your fault. Rowen's father shouldn't have given him the pills. He should of known better." 

Looking up with his reddened eyes, Sage smiled. "You're right."

"Hashiba, Rowen! Is there anyone here with a Rowen Hashiba?" A woman doctor dressed in light blue scrubs called from the emergency room doors. 

Shooting out of his chair, Ryo, quickly followed by the others, rushed up to the tired woman doctor. "We're Rowen's friends. What's wrong?" Wildfire quickly asked. 

"Where is his family?" She asked questionably. 

Sage, regaining his mature composure, cleared his throat. "We're his family as well." 

Eyeing him strangely, she nodding. "Very well then. I'm Dr. Kyra Koiry, Rowen's doctor. Please follow me." 

Ryo, Sage, Sai, and Kento followed Dr. Koiry down one of the many hallways in the hospital. As they walked, the woman explained the situation. "Rowen is going to be fine. His body rejected the pills, causing him to pass out. We managed to drain his digestive system of all the medicines. He's regained conscious and is resting comfortably in a room. But he is still very weak. So, you can only see him one at a time."

"Alright." The boys replied in return.

As they came to Rowen's room, Dr. Koiry turned to the young warriors. "But, something strange happened to him." 

"Why is that?" Kento asked, raising and eyebrow. 

"During the middle of the procedure, he muttered something. I think he said, 'Guys, I'm sorry. Please don't hate me.'"

All four of the Ronin smiled as what Rowen had said. 

Rowen sat quietly in his hospital bed, looking out the window. The sun was radiating into the white room, causing the brightness to be warm and welcoming. But Rowen wasn't thinking about how the room felt. He was too busy thinking about what he had done. How stupid he had acted and how desperate he must have acted. 

"Why me? Why did I have to act so dumb?" He asked himself. That when a thought struck him. "Sage. Oh no. I told him I hated him." The images of earlier flooded back to him. "He's probably never gonna talk to me again." 

"Now why would you say that?" Glancing over from the windows, Rowen's eyes widened to see Sage there, smiling at him.     

Rowen quickly went to open his mouth, but Sage raised a hand to silence him. "Let me talk first." Moving over to the chair that was placed next to the bed, the warrior sat calmly. Glancing at his feet for a moment, Sage struggled to find the right words to say. 

"Ro, I'm your best friend, right?"

The blue haired boy nodded. 

"And you trust me?"

"With my life."

Smiling softly, Sage stared at Rowen. "Then I now know something."

Rowen raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Holding his hand out to his friend, Sage grinned. "You're still my best friend."

Grinning back, Rowen weakly raised his hand into Sage's. "Yea. I guess. I didn't mean what I said earlier," He took his hand back and stared back to the windows, "I just couldn't stop…I needed those stupid things to keep going." 

Sage looked down at the floor, thinking about everything, "So…what happens now?" he cautiously asked. 

"I'm going into rehab for two weeks. And then, well…if I get better…then I guess we'll have to see what happens after that."

The blond nodded, "All of us we'll be there the entire time. If you need to talk or anything…just come to us, okay?"

Rowen looked back over at his friend with the same small grin as before...

"…I promise…"

*~*~*Please Read and Review*~*~*


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